Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Sells 157 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lessened its position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,718 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 157 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Balchem were worth $1,743,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Balchem by 123.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Balchem during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Balchem in the fourth quarter worth $56,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in Balchem by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 953 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Balchem in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $209,000. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Balchem Stock Performance

NASDAQ BCPC traded down $1.29 on Wednesday, hitting $154.19. 3,503 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 103,929. The business’s fifty day moving average is $151.00 and its 200 day moving average is $141.21. Balchem Co. has a 52 week low of $110.74 and a 52 week high of $159.52. The company has a market capitalization of $5.00 billion, a PE ratio of 43.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.72.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. Balchem had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The company had revenue of $228.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $234.66 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. Balchem’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCPC has been the subject of several analyst reports. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Balchem

In related news, CEO Theodore L. Harris sold 34,350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.29, for a total value of $5,299,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 66,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,246,707.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Balchem news, CEO Theodore L. Harris sold 34,350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.29, for a total value of $5,299,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 66,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,246,707.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total value of $1,700,631.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,032,022.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 76,630 shares of company stock worth $11,843,249 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Company Profile

Balchem Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets specialty performance ingredients and products for the nutritional, food, pharmaceutical, animal health, medical device sterilization, plant nutrition, and industrial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Human Nutrition and Health, Animal Nutrition and Health, and Specialty Products.